Leadership changing at Skyline High

Principal Patty Quiñones moves to feeder-wide STEM position

By Victoria A.F. CamronLongmont Times-Call

Posted:
02/04/2013 08:00:00 AM MST

Updated:
02/04/2013 10:07:50 AM MST

Heidi Ringer, left, has been named principal of Skyline High School because former principal Patty Quiñones, right, is becoming the executive director of innovation programs for the St. Vrain Valley School District. The two will spend the next month making the transition.
(Lewis Geyer, Times-Call)

LONGMONT -- The woman who has overseen the implementation of Skyline High School's STEM Academy is going to oversee STEM programming in the high school's feeder system.

Patty Quiñones has been named the district's executive director of innovation programs, a position required and funded by the $16.5 million federal Race to the Top-District grant the district received in December.

Assistant principal Heidi Ringer, who has worked at Skyline for 16 years, including six years as assistant principal, has been appointed principal of Skyline.

The two will spend the coming month working together to make the transition as easy as possible.

"Patty's got a great way of recognizing a big-picture approach to innovation," Haddad said. Because she was involved in putting STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education at Skyline, she'll know how to do it in the feeder schools, he added.

Skyline High School's feeder system consists of Trail Ridge Middle School and Timberline K-8 School, which will open in the fall to replace Heritage Middle School and Loma Linda and Spangler elementary schools. Other elementary schools in the feeder are Alpine, Columbine, Fall River and Rocky Mountain.

As executive director of innovation programs, Quiñones will manage the programs outlined in the district's Race to the Top grant, including expanding STEM programming in kindergarten through 12th grade; developing and implementing the Individual Career and Academic Plan program, which creates personalized learning plans and helps students, teachers and parents monitor each student's progress; and a new mentoring program, Relationships with Educators Accelerate Learning.

"Part of this grant is my vision," said Quiñones, who took over as principal at Skyline in 2008. During her tenure, the school established the STEM and visual performing arts academies, and was completely remodeled.

"We transformed that environment; it continues to be something to be very proud of," Quiñones said.

Ringer is thrilled to be advancing in her career while staying at Skyline.

"I'm most excited about being able to stay at Skyline," Ringer said. "I feel that my work is not done here yet."

She plans to continue building the STEM and VPA academies, as well as help students become more successful.

"My real focus will be on instruction and increasing student achievement even more," Ringer said.

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